Bloomfield's Station offers fine dining, Pittsburgh-style
Everything about a new Bloomfield restaurant takes diners on a journey to another place and time. In the bar, high-backed banquettes reminiscent of shoe-polishing stations serve as seating. In the dining room, black-brick walls enclose rows of tables resting under a strand of exposed bulbs, illuminating images of train tracks and machinery.
The light emanating from the end of this tunnel is not an oncoming locomotive, but the glow of Liberty Avenue, where Station, a new restaurant designed as a nod to turn-of-the-century train stations, held its soft opening in August.
The restaurant is the new venture of chef Curtis Gamble, who spent years working in popular Pittsburgh kitchens. Gamble, along with owning partners John Pieranunzi and Justin Janosko, wanted a theme that reflected their goal of bringing a community together over a shared experience.
“I think the train station idea meshed really well with the type of food this neighborhood needed — super-rustic and approachable,” Gamble says. “Using words like ‘natural,' and trying to preserve as much of the bar and the old architecture as we can, was right on point. We're super-happy with the way the place turned out.”
Lauren Levant Bland of Lauren Levant Interior in Lawrenceville developed the concept based on literal and figurative meanings of the word “station.” Her design elements create an homage to the old days of train travel, while the name is also meant to reflect the dream of enhancing one's station in life.
“They were looking to do something here that was different from what Bloomfield already had,” Bland says. “It's already had a lot of wonderful places. It's been a rich Italian history place for some time, but the neighborhood is changing, and now it represents all sorts of people from all types of places. They had this wonderful idea to celebrate that. They wanted people to feel that, wherever they're from, there's some piece of it here.”
Station is divided into two distinct spaces — a bar and dining area and a separate dining room. The first space features vintage light fixtures and the original tin ceiling painted with an antiquing effect. Drink offerings are displayed with mechanical lettering as a train schedule would have been on large, sliding screens.
Linear design elements work to elongate the space. A long, smooth section of train track serves as a footrest for those seated at the steel bar top, handcrafted by Iron Eden in Bloomfield. A wall of black-framed mirrors allude to the glass-intensive design of train stations of the past, while creating the illusion of more space and light.
The second dining space journeys deeper into the theme and immerses guests into a tunnel experience. Exposed bulbs dangle down the room's center, creating a tunnel of light against the rich black-brick walls. Photographs by Dave Bryce depicting train-travel history hang throughout.
“It's moody in here,” Bland says. “It's intentionally dim. But at night, it feels very romantic. Filled with people and good food and the mood lighting, it feels good.”
Repurposed materials also are put to use here, with chairs made of reclaimed barn wood and an entire wall of reclaimed steel.
“At its core, we want it to be a place that exceeds expectations but is also a very social place,” Gamble says. “We want it to be a place where you can come have a few Old-Fashioneds, and the room has a great energy to it. I think Pittsburghers are finally at a place where they're not equating fine dining with tuxedoed servers and tablecloths. I'm hoping people realize that when they eat here.”
Rachel Weaver is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
